Speaker comfort monitor requirements
Your keynote speaker asks where the screen for them will be, and nobody is sure whether one was ordered.
The short answer
A comfort monitor is a screen facing the speaker so they can see what the audience sees without turning round. Your job as organiser is to decide who needs one, what it should show and who controls it. The AV supplier designs, places and cables it.
Write these decisions down before the supplier quotes. Otherwise the monitor is added late, or panels get one and the lectern does not.
What the monitor is for
Speakers use a comfort monitor to check the current slide, and often the next slide, their notes and a timer. It keeps them facing the audience and helps them keep to time.
Whether you need one depends on the stage layout, the speaker type and how slides are advanced. Those are coordination decisions. Placement, sightlines, cabling and power belong to the technician.
Decide by speaker type
Different speakers need different things. This table helps you list them before talking to the supplier.
| Speaker type | What the monitor should show | Question for the supplier |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote at a lectern | Current slide, next slide, notes if the speaker supplies them | Is a lectern display included, and does it show notes from the supplied file? |
| Walking speaker | Floor confirmation screen at the front edge, current slide only | Where can a floor screen sit without blocking entry and exit routes? |
| Panel of four to six | Usually none per person; one shared confirmation screen | Can one screen serve the whole panel from where they sit? |
| Moderator | Timer and next-session cue, not slides | Can the timer sit on a separate display from the slides? |
| Remote presenter on screen | Their own view of what the room sees | Who confirms the remote speaker can see the room feed? |
Decisions to record before the supplier quotes
- How many units, and for which sessions.
- What each unit shows: current slide only, current and next, or with notes and timer.
- Who advances slides: the speaker with a clicker, or an operator on cue.
- Whose file supplies the notes view, and in which presentation software.
- Who tells the speaker what they will see, and when.
- What the supplier will do if a monitor fails mid-session, and who tells the show caller.
Brief the speaker, then check at rehearsal
- Put a one-line description of the monitor setup in the speaker joining instructions.
- Ask speakers who want notes to put them inside the presentation file, not on paper.
- Let each speaker stand where they will present during the rehearsal schedule and confirm they can read the screen.
- Record any change on the stage cue sheet so the operator and the show caller know.
Worked example · Fictional example
One-day logistics forum with two keynotes and one panel
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
Persatuan Logistik Fiktif plans a one-day forum for about 280 delegates. It has two keynotes, one five-person panel and three short talks.
The secretariat lists the keynotes as needing a lectern display with notes. The panel gets one shared confirmation screen. Short talks use a floor screen. The moderator gets a timer only. The supplier quotes against that list, and two keynote speakers are told in advance to place notes in the file.
Use this yourself
Comfort monitor requirement sheet
Copy this into your brief and complete one line per session type.
- Session or speaker type:
- Needs a comfort monitor? Yes / No / Supplier to advise
- Shows: current slide / next slide / notes / timer
- Position preferred (lectern, floor, shared), subject to supplier advice:
- Slide advance by: speaker clicker / operator on cue
- Notes supplied by: speaker file, name and version:
- Fallback if the monitor fails, agreed with supplier:
- Technical owner confirmation and date:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You have one stage, a handful of speakers and a supplier who has run the venue before.
- Speakers use the same presentation software as the playback computer.
- The run of show is simple and slides are advanced from the lectern.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many speaker types, remote presenters and a panel share one stage and the roles are unclear.
- Several suppliers (AV, livestream, stage) each assume another supplies the monitors.
- You need one person to chase speaker files and confirm the setup with the technician.
Need the stage requirements pulled together?
A conference project lead can collect speaker needs, write the monitor requirements into the supplier brief and confirm them with the technician at rehearsal. System design and safety stay with the qualified supplier and the venue.
Questions organisers ask
Do all speakers need a comfort monitor?
No. Short talks from a lectern or panels may manage without. List each session type and ask the supplier to advise.
Who decides where the monitor goes?
The AV supplier proposes placement, taking sightlines and safe routes into account, and the venue confirms it. You record what the speaker needs.
Can speakers use their own laptop notes?
Sometimes. Ask the supplier what the playback system can show, and ask speakers to put notes inside the file you will play.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.